Countdown
by The Creepy-Psycho-Loner
Summary: If he had to endure such pain again... if he had to go into a burning building again, with a device counting down his impending doom, in order to save his brothers, would he do it? "Without a moment's hesitation."


**Countdown** by The Creepy-Psycho-Loner.

**Disclaimer**: All characters, Places, etcetera are not owned by me. I simply do the plot

* * *

**_10 minutes_**

Leo held his head as he collapsed. The room spun, his throat felt tight, and his eyes burned. He coughed dryly as he tried to maneuver his way through the blazing warehouse. He had to find his brothers before the bomb ticked to zero.

Leo's vision blurred. It didn't help that he couldn't see in the first place. The smoke had gotten worse. His lungs burned even more. Leo was sure that he would die if he didn't search faster. He stumbled and fell over a concave area in the floor. Leo found it hard to get back up. He was too weak.

"Leo!" A gruff voice called out distantly. He felt someone shake him by the shoulders. Leo cracked his eyes open in tiny slits.

"Leo! C'mon bro! Tha othas are outside safe."

Leo smiled but coughed up more smoke. Raph helped him up and carefully made their way out the warehouse.

Raph grunted a few times on their journey.

"You 'kay?" Leo choked out. Raph swayed slightly.

"Ya," Raph lied. Leo forced his eyes to analyze his salvation. He noticed a long cut along his side and three gashes on his arm.

Leo separated from his brother.

"Leo! Lemme help ya," Raph urged hastily. Leo shook his head stubbornly.

"Go ahead of me," Leo coughed again, "I'll be righ' behind you."

Raph stayed skeptical. "Imma lose you though."

Leo gave a reassured glance. "I'm right behind you. Now go! We're losing time!"

Raph eyes widened but he limped ahead anyways. His person disappeared within the smoke.

Leo couldn't keep himself up. He dropped to the floor and continued on, crawling. He felt the floor underneath him creak. His blood froze and anxiety sat in his stomach- making him sick.

Abruptly, the floorboards gave out from under and Leo fell atleast ten feet underneath. He feel hard on his chest- momentarily knocking the wind from his lungs. Leo desperately tried to take in a breath but he just couldn't.

_**5 minutes**_.

His leg bent at an unnatural angle. His arm was sprain. Leo laid his head on the floor. He was going to die. By now, the fire engulfed the entire facility. If Leo crawled out, he would most likely burn to death. If he stayed in the hole, the bomb would detonate.

Leo felt hopeless. His mindset changed. He once believed in virtues and spirituality but now he believed in being pessimistic. He wasn't going to make it out alive. Actually, that wasn't pessimistic; it was the truth.

"Leo! Dude, bro, you're awesome!"

Leo's head perked. Didn't he just hear Mikey?

"Leo? You're amazing!"

Donnie?

"Not bad Leo. But don' grow a big head. Imma beat'cha next time!"

Raph? ... Next time?

Leo frowned; newfound determination on his features.

Next time.

Leo felt around the bottom of the hole. He banged on each area when he hit a hollow spot.

Leo's hopes were restored again.

Warehouses have basements, where they keep their inventory. If Leo could break the floor again, he could fall to the basement and somehow make it out. Leo banged on the hollow spot again and it cracked some. He banged again and it cracked again. With one more determined wallop, the floor crumbled once more and sent Leo plummeting 20 feet to the basement ground.

_**2 minutes**_

Leo just came to. The ground was wet from busted water pipes and the atmosphere was dank. There was a large ray of sunlight in the otherwise dark place. Leo could not move- quite literal this time around.

He did fall a total of 30 feet.

He heard wood falling above him so he started crawling, functioning off adrenaline. Leo could hear his bones grind together in protest and it sounded like his joints were mush.

Leo reached the small emergency exit and exited. He limped and sloshed away as fast as he could. His vision tinted white and he swayed.

"Leonardo?" An old yet stressed voice called hesitantly.

Leo turned his head to see his adopted father and sensei. "F-Fath-," Leo coughed sorely, "Father?"

"Leonardo!" Splinter yelled relieved. He gracefully ran to his sons aid. Leo collapsed in Splinter's arms, adrenaline completely gone.

_**30 seconds**_

Splinter rushed Leo back to the battleshell and Don hurried to his aid.

"Leo!" Don yelled, checking over his unconscious older brother.

"Donatello, get back in! The bomb will detonate in approximately 27 seconds."

Don got the hint and got into the vehicle. Mikey drove (Don was a bad driver) as fast as he could away from the warehouse. When they just reached safety, it exploded. The aftershock could be felt even at their distance away. Even though it wasn't audible, each person sighed in relief; to having escaped from impending doom.

Leo awoke with a pounding headache. His chest was extremely sore and painful. His arms, legs, and, well, ... everything hurt. His mind was also foggy.

"He... everything." Don.

"... heal?" Splinter.

"Yes... full .. body cast... months."

"He... a lot. He... rest. He... very resilient."

Leo's mind started to clear as he became more conscious.

"Though I am perplexed as to how Leo ruptured his ribs so bad."

Leo realized that Don and Splinter were in the lab, Don with a clipboard in his bandaged up hands.

"I fell 30 feet," Leo answered in a deep and raspy voice.

"Leo? Are you okay?" The question lingered. "Ah, never mind."

"Do I want to know the diagnosis?" Leo flinched. His throat hurt and he had to strain it.

Don gave him an empathetic smile. "No. And please stop talking. If you keep straining your voice, you'll get Laryngitis."

Leo stayed quiet, hinting that he got the memo.

"But 30 feet? Leo, you really cease to stress me out. I do say that you are-"

"Awesome." Mikey interrupted, walking into the room, with Raph on his trail. Mikey had bandages on his head and feet. Raph had bandages on his arm and torso.

Leo smiled but it faltered at Raph's forlorn expression.

"Raph?" Leo whispered.

Raph hesitated. "...I thought you was gonna..." Raph trailed off. 'Die' lingered for a few seconds before Mikey lightened the mood.

"But Raphie knew no better. He didn't know he should never had doubted Leonardo the Sage- Ow!" Mikey rubbed the tender spot at the back of his head.

"Th-" but Leo haulted his thanks. "I love you all."

"You better," Raph smirked.

In the year afterwards, Leo fully healed. His brothers still remained overprotective of their leader- much to Leo's dismay.

Leo stood on a desolate rooftop on a warm, tranquil, summer night.

If he had to endure such pain again... if he had to go into a burning building again, with a device counting down his impending doom, in order to save his brothers, would he do it?

"Without a moment's hesitation," he answered into the night.


End file.
